Rich & DawnCheré Wilkerson — Christmas at VOUS: Scared, But Gifted

tonight Luke chapter 2 verse 8 I'm gonna ask don sharee to read our text and then we're gonna preach this is what it says and there were Shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified but the angel said to them do not be afraid I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people today in the town of David a savior has been born to you he is the Messiah the Lord this will be assigned to you you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests when the angel had left them and gone into heaven the Shepherd's said to one another let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about it's a beautiful text tonight and we want to preach from the subject scared but gifted scared but gift and I believe God's honest speeches would you pray with us lo we thank you so much that you brought us here God we thank you that you are up to something in our community Lord tonight we prayed that we would see Jesus in a clearer way so we want to get past all of the things that many people think Christmas about and we want to get to the heart of it it's about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus tonight help us to get to know him better help us to leave looking more like him lord help us to leave the night transformed by the preaching of your word we honor you we give you glory in this house and all of God's people said all of gospel said come on 6:00 p.m. mayhem service if you love Jesus put your hands [Applause] you're not supposed to shout on Christmas services it's very it's very conservative it's very conservative not at vous Church we break all the rules dogger now we I think I think Christmas is our favorite holiday for sure and by the way if you're Christian it should be a favorite holiday Don Shree said our Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving and if we're lucky it will come down somewhere before February who are the people that you leave your Christmas tree up till Valentine's Day where are you all want to know okay yeah look at that is that because you're passionate or because you're lazy dodge Serena I we are we're actually getting ready tomorrow we're gonna be flying to Shreveport Louisiana to spend Christmas with Don Sherry's family so pray for your boy it's about to be a redneck Christmas the best kind of Christmas that thing hmm how y'all doing not very good okay but it's funny because you know as our family grows maybe you're in this predicament are there any of you out there that you have to like to spend like you have to do three Christmas parties cuz you've got so much family or people you're trying to go to this past week Don tree and I we had to go spend time with my parents who are actually in the service tonight and but it's why our son it's his very first Christmas and so we drove Wyatt up to see his grandma and grandpa and it's so much fun because they got him all these presents but we were laughing so hard because any parent out there knows when you have like a child who's like the age of Wyatt like they don't actually care about the gift they just like opening the gift have you experienced this like why just like he's tearing up with stuff he's like throwing aside he's like tearing up more stuff we learn right you know we're gonna do next year we're just gonna wrap up gift wrapping paper like that's called good stewardship right there but it's been fun for dontre because as we're around Wyatt it's kind of reclaiming all of the wonder and the fun of Christmas and both d'Anjou now we have beautiful memories around the Christmas tree with our families yeah love just spending time with the family during the holidays mother things that I love doing every year is my mom will jump on the piano in our living room and the family will gather around the piano and will just start singing some of our favorite Christmas carols how many of you you're you're pretty committed to listening to Christmas music during the Christmas season I am with you and I have a lot of favorites to be honest Briah carry till I die yes out out absolutely will never get old but there's one song in particular that as I sing it the words ring true to me because I grew up in Louisiana and I've lived in Miami for 12 years now and I gotta tell you that I have never had a white Christmas is anybody with me you've never had a white Christmas but you know it still stands today that I dreaming of Christmas just like we making a snow at i-tech tonight where the treetops glisten and children listen to me that's pretty good play those in that Schnurr okay now it's your turn come on I'm dreaming of the why right Christmas with every Christmas card may your days be merry and bright [Music] and may all your Christmases be Wow we love your church we'll see you next year happy new year god bless Kitty sorry not done you got snow in your hair hold on make a snow girl there we go we got snow snow in Miami I love they did it that was beautiful way to go Ben thanks for jumping in there with me they're pretty odd dreams do come true dreams do come true all right done sorry I love you so much you know these songs you feel so much warmth you feel so much joy when you sing them and in 2018 that's what Christmas season evokes right it's it's the beauty and the joy of the season it's the pageantry it's the carols it's gathering around the dinner table and sharing the things that were grateful for it's feelings of peace and love and comfort but you go back 2,000 years ago and the Christmas story was anything but comforting for the people that were in that moment experiencing the message from on high that the Messiah is here it was actually terrifying they were scared out of their minds see you can be gifted and you can still be scared there can be a gift straight from heaven that still terrifies you normally look to the Word of God we see encounters with angels that are sent from the throne room of heaven as messengers to those who would be a part of the Christmas story three different times they bring a message straight from God to these individuals we see in the first place the texts that we just read as we opened up this message that that the Shepherd's are abiding in the field keeping watch over the flock and lo an angel of the Lord appears to them and the Bible says that they are terrified they are scared to death and the first thing that angel says is dude be afraid say that with me do not be afraid and then he goes on to say I bring you good news of a great gift isn't it crazy that the message would be that I'm bringing good news of a great gift but even as I bring good news of a great gift don't be afraid see there might just be a gift that God is seeking to give to you but the fear in your heart is keeping you from accepting what he wishes to deliver to your life is anybody with me tonight who can't be afraid scared but gifted we see a second time the angel appear to Mary the mother of Jesus and the angel appears and says do not be afraid you are favored of God in the same sentence that he says you are favored of God he reminds her you shouldn't be afraid you see because when God's hand is upon you his hand is gonna lead you to places that you've never been he's gonna put you in situations that you're unprepared for but the Holy Spirit has prepared you for that moment you have everything you do not be afraid in the third time we see the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph who would be the father figure in jesus's life as he grew and the angel of the Lord appears in the first thing he says in the dream to Joseph is do not be afraid to marry Mary who he was engaged to don't be afraid to Wed Mary you see to him nothing about the circumstance made sense it would have been the right thing to back away from marrying the woman that he had been engaged to because now she claimed that she was carrying the son of God but the angel Lord said fear not stop leaning on your own understanding stop trying to figure it out trust my word take me at my word fear not though you don't understand fear not see you can be scared but gifted and as we look through the Word of God time and time again from Genesis to Revelation and I just tell you the message of the Word of God to your heart today don't be afraid from Abraham to Sarah to Joshua to Elijah Daniel Ruth Esther the disciples Jesus Christ said time and time again may you hear it resound in your heart tonight do not be afraid what's tormenting you tonight don't be afraid what's paralyzing you with fear as you step into 2019 don't be afraid what is overtaking your thoughts with anxiety don't be afraid the message that the angels delivered from on high stands true for your situation tonight there's no fear in God's love perfect love drives out all fear come on is anybody fill this up with faith instead see you can be scared but make no mistake tonight as you head into this new year you are gifted so interesting as we think about the Christmas story because the Christmas story the birth of Jesus is God's entrance into the world the greatest gift exchange we have ever seen is what we're talking about tonight and as we look back we're not just commemorating the past but we're celebrating a God that's still relevant today that as Jesus was born the greatest gift ever given as he was given into the world the people around that situation although they were being given the greatest gift the feeling that I'd evoked was fear and worry oftentimes when God is gifting you you're gonna feel worried before you feel blessed and joy so often happens in retrospect you ever noticed this it's only in looking back in life that you can connect the dots and say okay God's providence was a part of that God's provision was there God was leading God was guiding I was stepping out into territory I'd never been in and while I was afraid God was speaking faith to my situation I'm scared but I know I'm gifted and when it comes to God's gifts as we study this story that shows up in the gospel the birth of Jesus I think there's some common observations that we can make that will be helpful for us tonight in our situations and the first thing is this is that God specializes in small sizes it's important that you see this because so many people are living today afraid of being small so many of us we avoid the small thing because we'd rather project as if we got big stuff going on yet when God begins to move in your life and when God gives you a gift typically he gives you a gift that you can fit in your hand because God always works in the seed format you say rich why does God work in the seed format it's because God wants you to be able to handle the gift as it grows when I was growing up my dad's here tonight and when I turned 16 years of age my dad gave me my first car it was a 1993 Ford orange Explorer don't hate the player had over 200,000 miles on him this car would break down all the time have you ever owned a car that normal to start it you had to pray in tongues I don't know if we're gonna get there today but all right here we go come on Holy Spirit help me yeah and this car would break down and I don't know if anything like me but the car would break down and I would just do what you do when cars break down I would get out of the car I pop the hood I walk over and how many of you know that I pop the hood but I have no idea what I'm looking at I'm like touch it Jesus seen home revive it Lord I can pop the hood all I want I have no idea what I'm looking at I have no idea why the car broke down one of the reasons why don't know why the car broke down it was I didn't make the car I wasn't there at the inception of the car I didn't put the engine together no I received the car when it was put together therefore when it breaks I have no idea how to fix it what a lot of us don't understand is that the reason why God gives us gifts in the Cee'd format is not because he's trying to limit you it's because he's trying to empower you it's because God wants to give you authority and God wants to teach you responsibility you see for many of you in this room if you were to get your dream tomorrow you would have no idea when it starts to fall apart how you would put it back together because you weren't there from the inception you they're from the seeds just because it's small today doesn't mean it's gonna be small in the future do not understand that God specializes in small stuff this is what he does this is how he works he specializes in small things and he gives it to us in the seed format this is why people who win the lottery go bankrupt in a year because if you didn't make the money you can't manage the money and when you realize that God is trying to take you on a journey and he wants you to be able to manage the stuff he's going to give you although you are scared tonight you can rest assured that you are gifted see whole perspective changes maybe like I get it now this is why I had to be single for so long God was giving me an opportunity to manage myself before I tried to take off managing someone else some of you didn't get the promotion you wanted this year and you're sitting around and you're so tempted to complain but right before you're tempted to complain you are reminded that God he specializes in small stuff and therefore you realize maybe God is teaching me endurance because if I'm ever going to be the CEO that I see in my mind I'm gonna have to learn how to deal with harder stuff than this some of you are wanting a bigger salary and the reason why you don't have a bigger salary yet is because God is waiting you to manage the small salary that you do have and trust him by seeking him first and if you first you will watch as he takes the small salary and he goes into a bigger salary I wish specializes in small stuff [Applause] so many lessons to learn from the Christmas story so many things that we see as we study their Nativity but please learn this lesson you serve a God that when he brought his son into the world he decided to bring him in in the form of a little baby I mean have you ever been around a baby what about God I'm gonna show if there's a baby the most fragile thing the earth is ever seen and this is how God comes to us so many lessons to learn but please let it but the first be this that God he uses small stuff to do big stuff and that when God gives his greatest gifts he always gives us his gifts in a small size and just because it's small today does not mean that it can't grow tomorrow his past Thursday was kind of a cool night for Dawn Sheree and I we had our staff Christmas party at a restaurant in the Design District and it's really doesn't sound that special we had about 40 people there there's about 25 people now on the food church staff and what was interesting about the night is as we walked in there was about 40-plus people with their spouses there and we're sitting at one big table and as a beautiful night as we were reflecting on the year and celebrating and someone came to me and said rich you do realize that we were in this exact same room four years ago and they started to tell me the story that four years ago we had our launch team that was the group of people that helped us start vous church we had our launched him it wasn't more than 30 people nobody was on staff there wasn't even a church yet it was just 30 of us with a dream in our heart and we were at the exact same restaurant four years ago and as they told this to me I was like man I wonder if I can find my notes because back then it didn't matter if we gathered I was preaching it's like a Friday night guys and I'm like guys open up your Bibles I got a word you know how like it was the Christmas card I was like I'm like I'm gonna go in you know and I found my notes December 22nd 2014 and my message was do not despise small beginnings friends I'm telling you for years ago the same room not one person was on the staff there wasn't a church yet but there was a group of people that came together and they understood that God specializes in small stuff for years somebody give them brains in this case I'm scared but I know I'm I'm scared but I know that I am gifted what is in your hand today that is small what is it today that you are despising that you should be developing what is it that you are minimizing that God is calling you to multiply see when God gives us his greatest gifts he gives it to us in the seed format and the only thing you to do with seed is sell it your to plant it your to work it your to surrender it you are to give it and as we plant our seed God is faithful to make it grow listen to me I want this to be in our hearts as we move into 2019 as a church our life is not measured in the harvest that we reap our life is measured in the seeds that we plant come on somebody come on somebody to know that God specialized stuff come on if you're scared tonight but you know that you're gifted come on why are you go ahead and give them some praise tonight why don't you encourage your faith tonight scared but gifted God specializes in small stuff da cherie yeah God specializes in small stuff that secondly God's packaging is problematic come on the gift is great it's just getting through the packaging it's actually getting through what it comes wrapped in you know a couple nights ago we're at mom and dad's house and Wyatt is opening up his very first gifts like we were saying and I gotta tell you I don't know who decides how these kids gifts are packaged but I think the actual plan is that you are never able to get them open like I think the kids gifts should come with their own tool set is anybody with me I mean we're talking about Whites gifts add zip ties on them lights gifts are like soldered plastic I got to the point of pulling and tugging that I just gave it to Wyatt in the box and said I'm like yo edit I've tried all I can I cannot get it open I'm through the gift is good but oftentimes getting through the wrapping oh it's difficult it's hard it's not easy it takes some effort and takes sacrifice it takes focus it takes intentionality and how often do we look at the presents that God has placed before us and we shove them aside and say oh no that's not what I'm going for because of what it's wrapped in because it's wrapped in problems is wrapped in issues it's wrapped in a wrapping that doesn't look very attractive to us but can I remind you today that what a present is wrapped in has no bearing on the power of the gift itself you can chuck the gift giver and go whatever he puts before you he's giving you the strength to go through the process of unwrapping the package could it be that today you hold a blessing in disguise could it be that today in your hands there's something that you've discounted because it's surrounded with issues but what you actually hold in your hand is a gift see there are so many things in your life maybe today that you're ungrateful for but they're actually gifts they're gifts in disguise they're gifts and blessings straight from heaven meant to propel you forward into your future but you'll never know what you hold until you take the time to unwrap what God has given you I mean maybe that issue and communication in your marriage is just an opportunity and a gift for you actually to build more trust than ever before at all maybe those problems that you're having at work is just an opportunity and a gift to disguise for your boss to see that you're committed to solving problems but you can do it with the right attitude you can carry the culture that you can be determined oh come on does anybody with me tonight that frustration with your purpose might just be a packaging that God is trying to lead you in a new direction you gotta take the time to unwrap it God has a great gift for your life but God he packages his gifts and problems because he teaches us so much about who we are in him and who he is in us through the issues that we face you look to the story of Christmas you look to the text that we opened up with tonight the angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds they're terrified they say that I've brought you good news of great joy but then they say this and you will see a sign then this will be the sign you will find a babe wrapped in cloth lying in a manger now that's not probably the wrapping of the Messiah of the world that you would expect wrapped in cloth lying in the trough the animals feed from oh I expected for him to be wrapped in gold I expected for him to be born in a palace I expected for the god of the Angel armies to herald it around the globe on every continent so there was no mistake but this will be the Sun in other words this will be the wrapping that the miracle will be held in that you will find a baby wrapped in cloth lying in a manger may we not discount what God has entrusted to us because of what it comes wrapped in may we open up our eyes to the miraculous that God Himself has placed within our hand may we steward it but we'll lean in and trust the process oh we're scared we're terrified we may be overwhelmed but we tonight we are gifted God specializes in small sizes God's packaging is often problematic in Laster day/night God's time is always on time you look at these characters in the Bible and we're talking once again about the greatest gift that was ever given we're talking about salvation for all mankind the greatest gift ever you think the presence under your tree are good this year they don't have anything on the gift of Jesus yet as this announcement was made that you are gifted fear was the natural feeling and so much of the fear was is this the right time earlier I should say a couple months ago I lost my cell phone or my cell phone broke on me and I was waiting for a new phone to arrive and there's nothing really to test your salvation like going without your cell phone I think every Christian we should have a process to discover are you really a real believer let's take your phone away and know what was me found so we kept calling Apple and they kept like promising delivery but there was all these unexpected delays and day after day like we believed it was like three days into it like they kept tomorrow it's gonna be there tomorrow it's gonna be there and what I learned quickly is that so often delays lead to disappointment and life has a way at times of disappointing us you can't escape disappointment many of you this past year has been a year full of disappointment yet disappointment in and of itself is not in and of itself the worst thing it's unaddressed disappointment because if you don't address your disappointment Altan disappointment will give way to defeat and if you live life long enough in defeat your defeat will turn into despair and maybe you're even here tonight and you are living in despair I want to encourage you you might be scared but there is no reason to live life in despair you are gifted God has given you a gift and it's okay to be scared but there is no reason for you to live life in despair following Jesus is us trusting his timetable and the more I follow him the more I discover that his timeline is so different from my timetable you have to know that God has perfect timing he's never late he's never early he's only on time and do not mistake God's patience for his absence because Christmas is the great promise and the great gift that we serve Emmanuel God with us have you ever just stepped back to consider what that means God with us some of you this next week as you get around Christmas tables and as you sit with family and friends you should do an audit of your year and what you will find the great author CS Lewis he said life is full of peaks and troughs highs and lows yet what's amazing about Immanuel the great gift is that no matter how high you go he goes with you and no matter how low you go he goes with you and no matter the challenge that you face them out of the pain that you inflicted he was with you every step of the way and he does not promise you a problem-free life but friend he promises you that every problem you encounter he will walk with you through it come on as you look at the Christmas story like don't get lost in the commercialization of Christmas that you forget that the first Christmas it was anything but comforting you got a 15 year old girl who has to tell her fiance I'm pregnant and it's by God what I know he said I'm gifted what you got Joseph who's like I I should divorce her I shouldn't cording to the law Joseph had every right to have her stoned scripture says that he was in a divorce her quietly I've always found that interesting that Jesus Christ who came full of grace and full of truth that he had a father in heaven who's full of grace but he had an earthly father named Joseph who wasn't gonna have her stone but was gonna divorce her quietly this is bad timing god this doesn't seem like this is the right time no trust me it's right on time so they go to Bethlehem and all right let's let's find a hotel let's find a place to to have God's Son I mean let's let's find a good place minutes find a good Hospital is fine let's find some people it's let's go somewhere nice and they knock on door after door but every door says there is no more room anywhere they keep knocking and every door is closed and they end up at a stable a manger like I know you've got like figurines at your house that looks pretty and cute it's not like cows eat out of this yet some of you need to look deeper tonight at the Christmas story for every door that man closes I want to encourage you that God has another door [Applause] you're right on time Joseph you're right on time Mary it's right on time I doesn't feel like it's on time I know but my timing has nothing to do with your feeling Jesus he was born in a time you know this that many historians believe at the time that he was born was the first time the world was ever in a moment that there was unity across the world that Rome was a superpower that there was road systems and there was a common language that there was the Pax Romana which was the Peace of Rome that peace for the first time was happening worldwide and many theologians and many scholars believe that it was the first time in history that the message of the gospel could have even spread the way that it did how else could twelve fishermen and tax collectors and uneducated schoolboys how else could they spread the gospel as quick as it did I think it's because God was up to something he was aligning things and he was making things occur and it did not feel natural but that's because he's not natural he's supernatural you didn't know tonight that I understand that you're scared but you are gifted in the midst of it God's time it's always on time and the more and more you follow him the more and more you have to say god I'm gonna trust your timing when you trust God's timing the pieces fall into place when you rush God's timing the pieces fall apart it's been a great year for dontrey tonight because we've been watching this boy Wyatt grow up right before our eyes would you believe this today December 23rd is 11-month birthday today I can't believe it last night on true night we broke our rules and we had our boy sleep in our bed with us we're very good parents we don't ever let him sleep with us he has to sleep in his crib he has to learn how to face the world we broke our rules last night and so funny when you're a parent I've ever been so happy and grateful to take a heel to the eye what's so amazing about watching Wyatt is that 11 months has just gone by like that in minute by minute and moment by moment he just grows bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger you see you don't serve the god of seconds you served the god of seasons and why it was first born this generous radical church that were part of so many of you you bought clothes for him this kid's got closed till the day Jesus returns okay and I'm everyone he came he's just a little like little em fees the little guy you know and mercy and clothes that were like a one-year-old that was like he's never gonna missus you'll never need this big innocence but all the parents know that as one season goes one outfit is relinquished and a new outfit is put on we got clothes in that closet for when he's three years old four years old how many know it would be hilarious for him at 11 months to try to put on a two-year-old's outfit it wouldn't fit him it wouldn't help him it would just slow him down and although it looks good because it's big it's not for right now it's for one day see one of the worst things that will happen to you in life is to get the right thing at the wrong time no no but I got this sense in my heart that we serve this good god the father of every good gift and I just feel like he's got this Closet in heaven he's got a bunch of outfits with your name on it and every outfit is for every season that you will need but every resource that you need for the season of life that God has called you to it is waiting for you in the future but for you to get it now it would not help you it would simply slow you down so therefore we wait on God and we trust in God and we believe that we serve the god of yesterday today and forever and the same God that's with me today is the same God who's waiting in my tomorrow with everything that I need so I won't and I trust because God's timing is always on time here me waiting on God is never a waste of time some of you you need to be encouraged tonight you need to let your faith be stretched tonight you let you let your imagination run wild towards Jesus tonight that all this time waiting this is not a moment to give up this is not a moment to quit but all you have to do is look back to the first Christmas and you realize that yes I am scared like they were but just like them I am gifted and I'm gonna trust that this gift it always comes right on time right it's amazing about Jesus is that he grew he didn't stay the size of a baby but what's small today has a tendency to grow tomorrow and although he was came packaged in a barn in a stable the greatest gift and the greatest purpose emerged from that lowly place and at just the right time the scripture says in Romans that Christ died for the ungodly and as he died he went into a grave and for three days he went into the pits of hell and he came out victorious scriptures tell us that he walked on the earth for forty days and it as he was getting ready to resurrect or icy was getting ready to ascend to heaven John chapter 14 verse 27 before he did he promised us another gift he said in chapter 14 verse 27 he says peace I leave with you my peace I give you I do not give to you as the world gives do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid the peace that he was referring to in the gift that he would talk about more in John 14 15 and 16 was that he was sending us the Spirit the father sent the son and the son sent the spirit and today no matter the situation that you are walking through and no matter what this year has looked like and no matter what awaits you in 2019 because of Christmas yes you might be afraid and yes you might deal with some moments that you feel fear but I want to encourage you that you have the greatest gift his name is the Holy Spirit and he walks with you and he speaks to you and it councils you and he comforts you and it convict's you and he brings you peace in the midst of your pain scare but gifted scary but gifted I'm scared but I'm gifted you're gifted tonight you're gifted tonight don't stop don't quit don't give in you're closer today than you were yesterday stay the course and watch what God will do in and through your life if you believe it tonight come on can you go ahead and give God some praise [Music]

Channel: VOUS Church

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Keywords: vous church, christmas at vous, christmas, sermon, miami church, rich wilkerson jr, dawnchere, vous dawnchere wilkerson

Id: UWm3lCOBE74

Length: 41min 0sec (2460 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 24 2018